Lake County In The Playoffs

[bigwes68]

It is not always the Coach that leads a team into the dumps! Sometimes the talent just dries up for a few years! That is one major difference in 1a football than 3 or 4a. The kids for LCHS football at this time are great kids and also talented. The begining of the rough patct came from a jr high bunch that won one game in three years. In small school football cycles happen. Dont always blame a coach or any one else realize what you have. Look out in two years, the talent may be shallow again!!!

 

A jr. high bunch that won one game in three years?? They weren't THAT bad. That jr. high bunch also went through three different coaches in those three years, too.

 

The beginning of the rough patch came with instability in the coaching ranks. Stallings was let go not so much because of his 1-10 record in '97, but because of off-field problems. Stigall failed to instill any discipline or will to win in most of his players (not all, but most) and muddled through three years of unrealized talent. Then when Smith was hired, dissention among the coaches was the downfall of the program which led to the 0-10 2002 season, and a new low point for Falcon football. It wasn't a lack of talent.

 

The first group that went four years without a winning record (the 2000-01 seniors) went 4-4 and 4-5 in their 7th- and 8th-grade seasons. Those included a trip to the WTAC championship game (lost to Covington Crestview, 14-8, who had a kid by the name of Darron White) and the West Tennessee playoffs (lost to Jackson Tigrett, 6-0, in a mud pit at Northside). The next few classes had successful jr. high careers as well--the 1997 team went undefeated but had to forfeit 5 games because of an ineligible player. All but one team from 1995-2000 at LCJHS had .500 or better regular season records against the likes of Dyersburg, Humboldt, Union City, Ripley, etc., so the talent--and the coaching--was definitely there. But high school games are not won on talent alone, and that is where coaching comes in. There was no weight program to speak of, no summer conditioning, nothing. And that falls back on coaching.

 

Had the same trends continued, this talented team that the Falcons have right now would be in the same shape -- sitting about 4-6 and already talking about basketball. But that changed when Barger was hired, and he has done a great job in getting the most out of the talent he has. But in all seriousness, with the type of coaching and discipline that this team has, the teams of the late 90s would have been playoff contenders as well.

 

As for the talent pool being somewhat dry in two years, you're right, it will be down from what it is right now. But I believe that if anyone can squeeze some wins out of them, it will be Barger, IF he stays around that long. The next group of athletes in LC is about 9-10-11 years old right now; and with a youth football program now in place, if he stays around long enough, he might really have a great program.

[lakecounty7]

It is not always the Coach that leads a team into the dumps! Sometimes the talent just dries up for a few years! That is one major difference in 1a football than 3 or 4a. The kids for LCHS football at this time are great kids and also talented. The begining of the rough patct came from a jr high bunch that won one game in three years. In small school football cycles happen. Dont always blame a coach or any one else realize what you have. Look out in two years, the talent may be shallow again!!!

Well I don't think it will be as bad as ya think it will because sum of the junior high players will grow tremendously and when Coach Barger puts them on a weight program they will buff up quiclkly. Coach Barger can turn sum non athletes into athletes so we will see.

[beatme]

While yall are talking about all that other stuff i want to say good luck to Lake Co against Fayette and hopefully yall may get another shot at Union City. Anywa good luck from a South Fulton player.

[spellerone]

I think the Lake Co. program has come along way in the last 3 years. Coach Barger is well on his way in returning Lake Co in to a state power again. We should all be happy that Coach Barger is here and figure a way out to keep him here. Coaches are always going to questioned about the play calling but they are the ones who watch the film and put together a gameplan based on their opponent. We the fans to not see what goes on in practice nor do we see the gameplan that is put in for that week. Lake County's brand of football has always been the run and a nasty defense and under Coach Barger that is returning.I too have been to more than a few Lake Co football games in my time and frankly I like what I see now compared to 4 years ago. We should all be happy at the turnaround that has took place in Lake Co and continue to support the coaches and players as they built the falcon program to what it once was.

 

Why hasn't coach Barger been playing Damio at running back. Averaging 10.5 yards a carry I might add. I am not a coach but why did the coach basically let time run out before the half when we could have gotten the ball back with over a minute left in the half? Just curious.

Edited November 8, 2005 by spellerone

[mrbigster]

Lake County's brand of football has always been the run and a nasty defense

 

 

If that was our nasty defense on the field Friday night..I sure hate to see the players that are not nasty...All Fayette Ac was doing was running the same running back either to the left or right side and our corners were either watching him run outside or cutting back to the inside..I have no idea where the linebackers were...

[crow2006]

Lake County's brand of football has always been the run and a nasty defense

If that was our nasty defense on the field Friday night..I sure hate to see the players that are not nasty...All Fayette Ac was doing was running the same running back either to the left or right side and our corners were either watching him run outside or cutting back to the inside..I have no idea where the linebackers were...

 

 

I hear they could have stopped him, but they just plain missed tackles.